Toy with Removable Container

ABSTRACT

A device includes a toy with removable container. The toy has a body and a fastener adapted for attaching a toy to a bar such as a stroller bar. The receptacle is selectively removable from the body of the toy.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a toy with removable container and in particular a toy which can be attached to a bar such as a stroller and has a removable container which can be used for holding snack food.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Toys that stimulate and entertain infants include rattles, plastic teethers, squeakers, crinkle-sounding elements, mirrors and the like. These listed items can be included on mobiles infant playmat gyms, etc., which incorporate one or more of the aforementioned toys. In addition to include these infant toys as part of a collection (e.g. mobile or gym), stand-alone infant play toys such as teethers and rattles have been developed for infants. These items are provided for an infant while at home and while playing with the infant such as on the floor. The infant toys may also be given to an infant while in a stroller to entertain and stimulate the infant while on the go.

What is needed in the art is ever unique and different infant toys to entertain and stimulate the minds of an infant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a toy with a removable container. In one form, the toy can include a stuffed toy such as a stuffed animal. The toy can include infant play items such as but not limited to a rattle, plastic teether, squeaker and crinkle elements which produce sound when touched. The removable container is advantageously in the form of a removable receptacle which can hold snack food, allowing an infant to grab a snack from the receptacle. The removable receptacle is advantageously easily removable from the toy for cleaning. The toy, itself, attaches to a bar such as a stroller bar allowing an infant to play with the toy while in the stroller as well as allowing the infant to have a snack.

The present invention in one form relates to a toy with removable container. The toy includes a stuffed toy with a body and a fastener adapted for attaching the stuffed toy to a bar. A selectively removable receptacle allows one to remove the receptacle from the body of the stuffed toy.

In one specific embodiment, at least one post extends from the body of the stuffed toy and there is at least one bore through the removable receptacle wherein the post extends through the bore to removable affix the removable receptacle to the stuffed toy. In one further embodiment, the toy has two posts which extend through two respective bores in the removable receptacle to removably affix the receptacle to the stuffed toy.

In yet an alternative embodiment, the at least one post comprises a shaft extending from the body of the stuffed toy and an enlarged head wherein the enlarged head fits through the bore thereby allowing the receptacle to be removably affixed to the stuffed toy. In one further embodiment the bore has an elongated shape with its short dimension less than a largest dimension of the head of the post.

Advantageously, in one further embodiment, the receptacle is composed of a resilient plastic or polymeric material, especially around the bore(s), to facilitate removing the receptacle from the post(s) with head(s) having a dimension larger than the shortest dimension of the bore.

The present invention, in another form thereof, relates to a toy with removable container comprising a toy body and at least one infant play item selected from the group consisting of a rattle, teether, crinkle material, a squeaker and a mirror. A fastener is adapted for attaching the toy body to a bar and a removable receptacle allows one to selectively remove the receptacle from the body of the toy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a toy with removable container in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the toy of FIG. 1, with the removable container removed from the toy in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a post for holding a container on the toy taken alone line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is the toy of FIG. 1 shown attached to a stroller bar.

FIG. 5 is the toy of FIG. 1 shown with its fastener in its open position in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, viewed from the front of the toy.

FIG. 6 is the toy from FIG. 5 shown from its back.

FIG. 7 is the toy from FIG. 6, shown with the fastener closed, in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will now be described with reference to the figures. It will be appreciated that other toy designs and appearances are possible which are consistent with the described function of the present toy with removable container.

Referring now specifically to FIGS. 1 and 2, the present toy can have the appearance of a stuffed animal such as a dog shown as stuffed toy. The toy 10 has a removable receptacle or container 20 attached to posts 30. Toy 10 also has legs 11, 13 formed from strips of material which terminate as loops 12, 14. A rattle 40 is attached to a loop 11 and a teether 43, in the shape of a bone, is attached to loop 14. The rattle 40 has several balls 41 which freely move within a hollow ring 42. The teether 43 has a raised texture surface 44 with projections 45. Other infant toys, not shown, which can be attached to loops 12, 14 include a small mirror. Nose 15 includes a squeaker which produces noise when pressed. The ears 16 include a crinkle material such as wax paper within a fabric cover which produces a crinkling sound which touched. Two posts 30 with respective heads 32 extend from the body 19 of the toy 10 and through respective bores 21 of the removable container 20.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the toy 10 is shown with the removable container 20 removed. The removable container 20 has a pair of bores 21 in the form of an elongated opening or slot having a short dimension 22 and a long dimension 23. The container 20 has an opening 24 allowing the container 20 to hold items such as snack food including cereal, raisins, trail mix and the like. Advantageously, container 20 is composed of an elastic material, such as plastic or a polymer which permits the heads 32 of posts 30 to be pushed through bores 21.

Referring now to FIG. 2 along with FIG. 3 to describe how to attached and remove the container 20 from the body 19 of toy 10, the removable container 20 fits on the posts 30 extending outward from the body 19 of the toy 10. The each posts 30 includes a shaft 31 and head 32 having a diameter 33. The diameter 33 is larger than the smaller dimension 22 of bore 21. This allows the container 20 to remain attached to the body 19 until one wishes to remove it. Since the removable container 20 is advantageously made from a elastomeric or resilient material such as plastic or polymer, the container 20 can flex around the area of the bores 21 allowing the heads 32 to slide through and over an area around the bores 21. This allows the heads 32 to pull through the bores 21 to removably hold and affix the removable container 20 to the body 19 of the toy 10.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-7 in general, the toy 10 is removably attached to a stroller bar such as the stroller bar 48 shown in FIG. 4. Referring now specifically to FIGS. 5-7, body 10, in its unfastened state (e.g. not attached to a stroller bar), is in the form of a generally rectangular shape as shown in FIG. 5 (toy 10 from the front) and FIG. 6 (toy 10 shown from the rear). The body 19 of toy 10 rolls to form a generally cylindrical shape which can be wrapped around the stroller bar 48 (FIG. 4) to thereby secure the toy 10 to the stroller. FIG. 7 shows toy 10, from the rear, fastened in its closed position.

Referring now specifically to FIG. 6, the body 19 has a fastener to attach the toy 10 to a stroller bar. The fastener includes a strip of Velcro® or plastic loops 60 which stick to any other portion of the body 19 including the area identified as 61 in FIG. 6 as well as 51 in FIG. 5. The toy 10 is attached to a stroller bar by placing the toy 10 with the surface shown in FIG. 6 abutting the stroller bar and wrapping the generally rectangular body 19 around the stroller bar and pressing the Velcro® surface 60 to the opposite end of the body 19 in the area of surface 51 (FIG. 5) or 61 (FIG. 6). Alternatively, body 19 starting with the area around surface 51 is wrapped around a stroller bar and the surface 60 end is then wrapped the opposite direction around the bar to thereby join the surface 60 with the surface 51. The joining of Velcro® surface 60 with surface 51 produces the closed configuration of the stuffed toy 10 shown in FIG. 7.

One possible alternative, rather than the fastener being Velcro®, snaps or straps can be used to removably affix the toy to a stroller bar.

It will now be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention provides features and advantages not found in prior infant products. The removable receptacle allows one to clean food and other items from the interior of the receptacle allowing one to submerge the receptacle and/or place in a dishwasher for easy cleaning. In addition, the present device allows one to easily attach the device to a stroller bar and to easily remove the device when one wishes to clean or transfer the device to another stroller. Further, the present device provides entertainment and stimulation for an infant while providing for a useful device to dispense a snack.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional embodiments are also possible without departing from the teachings of the presently-disclosed subject matter. This detailed description, and particularly the specific details of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein, is given primarily for clarity of understanding, and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom, for modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure and can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the presently-disclosed subject matter. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A toy with removable container, comprising: a stuffed toy with a body; at fastener adapted for attaching the stuffed toy to a bar, and a selectively removable receptacle, removably attached to the body of the stuffed toy.
 2. The toy of claim 1, further comprising: at least one post extending from the body of the stuffed toy and at least one bore through the removable receptacle, wherein the post extends through the bore to removable affix the removable receptacle to the stuffed toy.
 3. The toy of claim 2, wherein the at least one post comprises two posts and the at least one bore comprises two bores, wherein each of the two posted extending from the body of the stuffed toy through one of the respective two bores to removably affix the receptacle to the stuffed toy.
 4. The toy of claim 2, wherein the at least one post comprises a shaft extending from the body of the stuffed toy with an enlarged head, wherein said enlarged head fits through the bore, thereby allowing the receptacle to be removable affix to the stuffed toy.
 5. The toy of claim 2, wherein the at least one bore has an elongated shape with its short dimension less than a largest dimension of the head of the post.
 6. The toy of claim 5, wherein the receptacle is composed of a resilient plastic or polymeric material around the at least one bore to facilitate selectively removing the receptacle from the at least one post.
 7. The toy of claim 1, wherein the body has a fabric surface.
 8. The toy of claim 1, wherein the receptacle is composed of a plastic or polymeric material.
 9. The toy of claim 1, further comprising at least one infant play item selected from the group consisting of a raddle, a teether, crinkle material and a squeaker.
 11. The toy of claim 1, wherein the fastener comprises at least one strap which extends from the body and is adapted to wrap around a bar.
 12. The toy of claim 1, wherein the faster is formed from the body which comprises a planer sheet, wherein said sheet is adapted to be wrapped around a bar to thereby attach the stuffed toy to the bar.
 13. The toy of claim 12, wherein the sheet forms a generally cylindrical shape, accommodating a bar, therethrough, when the stuffed toy is attached to a bar.
 14. The toy of claim 13, wherein the sheet is permanently attached to the body on one side and removably attached to the body on the other side, to thereby allow the sheet to wrap around the bar when attached thereto.
 15. A toy with removable container, comprising: a toy body; at least one infant play item selected from the group consisting of a raddle, a teether, crinkle material and a squeaker, associated with toy body; at fastener adapted for attaching the toy body to a bar; and a selectively removable receptacle, removably attached to the body of the toy.
 16. The toy of claim 15, further comprising: at least one post extending from the body of the stuff toy and at least one bore through the removable receptacle, wherein the post extends through the bore to removable affix the removable receptacle to the stuff toy.
 17. The toy of claim 16, wherein the at least one post comprises two posts and the at least one bore comprises two bores, wherein each of the two posted extending from the body of the stuff toy through one of the respective two bores to removably affix the receptacle to the stuff toy.
 18. The toy of claim 17, wherein each one has an elongated shape with its short dimension less than a largest dimension of the head of the posts.
 19. The toy of claim 18, wherein the receptacle is composed of a resilient plastic or polymeric material around the bores to facilitate selectively removing the receptacle from the posts.
 20. The toy of claim 15, wherein the faster is formed from the body which comprises a planer sheet, the sheet rollable to form a generally cylindrical shape, accommodating a bar, therethrough. 